Jam out on Jackson Street Pier

SANDUSKY — The city's government and leading trust, which constantly provides community programming at no cost, teamed up yet again — but, this time, to offer up free summertime mega-events. During a recent public meeting, the Sandusky Library's Lange Trust made an announcement to help ring in Jackson Street Pier's new look. "We are planning on partnering with the city for four lively concerts: a circus in July, an R&B/hip-hop A capella group in August and two in September: a rock supergroup and a salsa orchestra," said Lange Trust chairwoman Sarah Prout, who, at this time, couldn't provide more specifics due to contractual stipulations. Those details, however, should be revealed soon. "Residents will be able to bring their lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy great entertainment, free of charge, on the (pier's) great lawn," Prout said. The Lange Trust made a $50,000 donation to Sandusky's government, covering expenses for these four events. In other words, no taxpayer money will cover these costs. What's the Lange Trust? Sandusky Library executive director Molly Carver provided some context on the Lange Trust: "The Lange Trust was established in the 1970s by Norbert A. Lange and Marion Cleaveland Lange, and they designated the Sandusky Library as the oversight agency for the expenditure of funds gifted to Erie County. The library board is responsible for assuring that funds are spent in accordance with the trust agreement for its designated purpose." Carver continued: "To manage this responsibility, the library board established the Lange Trust committee years ago to do the necessary work involved. The Lange Trust committee is comprised of library board members and community members, all volunteers, and a library representative." Additionally, "The Lange Trust committee has been interested in finding alternative venues since the Sandusky State Theatre closure last year, and the Jackson Street Pier offered a potential venue for summer events," Carver added. Most notably, the Lange Trust has sponsored the yearly Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. Sounding off Lange Trust representatives wanted to help commemorate Jackson Street Pier's rededication in 2020 but couldn't because of COVID-19 guidelines. But with restrictions easing up, representatives and city officials believed summer 2021 marked a great time to celebrate a milestone moment in Sandusky's history. Two people who helped coordinate the outdoor concert series on Jackson Street Pier spoke about its importance: • Prout: The mission of the Lange Trust is to provide free programs that enrich the cultural and educational lives of the residents of Erie County. Except for the sculpture exhibit in downtown Sandusky, we were not able to do much in 2020 because of the pandemic and because the (Sandusky) State Theatre was inaccessible. With the newly renovated Jackson Street Pier, the time was right to celebrate the pier and to bring some typical Lange Trust events to the community. Everything that the Lange Trust presents is always free. • Sandusky city commission clerk McKenzie Spriggs: The city is excited to put the new Erie County Community Foundation stage to use for these performances. The Lange Trust has been putting on high-quality cultural programming for many years. We are thrilled to host incredible concerts and entertainment on the revamped Jackson Street Pier, overlooking Sandusky Bay.